568 
The Farm Prize ComjJetition of 1892. 
is it, tliat it was almost impossible to find a piece of twitch on 
the farm. The other 40 acres of grass, which are about 1 ^ mile 
from the farm, are his own property. Nearly all of this has 
been laid down by Mr. Hawkes within the last ten years. There 
is a good bottom, and it looks like coming into very useful grass, 
free from thistles and nettles, showing that a good deal of attention 
has been paid to this matter by the owner. 
It is a mixed soil, ranging from strong marl to sharp gravel. 
A six-course system of husbandry is generally pursued on this 
farm, and is as follows, though sometimes departed from : 
fallow or turnips, wheat, seeds, wheat, beans, wheat, or barley. 
The tenant has found it advisable in some parts of the farm to 
leave a dead fallow now and again, as the seeds plant so much 
better in the wheat which follows. 
The seeds consist of the following mixture : — 
5 lb. red clover. I 5 lb. Dutch or white clover. 
6 lb. alsike. | 5 lb. trefoil. 
J bushel of Italian rye-grass. 
We looked upon this as a very heavy seeding of the clovers, 
but were assured that excellent results vv'ere always obtained. 
The fences all over the farm were in beautiful condition, 
very clean and well-kept. The gates were hardly in so good a 
state of repair. 
The homestead, which is commodious, and good for the size 
of the farm, adjoins the road to the village, and is conveniently 
situated for the land, most of the grass lying round the house. 
The buildings are fairly good, with just enough accommodation. 
In the stack-yard a Dutch barn, 20 yards long, 12 yards wide, 
and 18 feet high to the eaves, had been erected by the tenant. 
An off-barn and yard are situated on the far side of the farm, 
and economise in a great degree the carting of manure, &c. 
The arable land nearest the house on both sides is in fine 
condition, free from weeds, and not a piece of twitch to be seen. 
In fact, most of the fields were as clean as a garden. On the 
farther or Stratford side, the lands run to strong marl. This 
is nasty working land, some of it being so poor that Mr. Hawkes 
has been obliged to lay it down in grass ; and though he has 
managed to get a fair sward, about one sheep per acre is all it 
is capable of keeping. These are as free from weeds as the 
better part of the farm. 
The grass lands before mentioned are of very useful quality, 
but not good enough to graze either sheep or bullocks without 
the aid of cake, which article is used with no sparing hand. 
No account being kept, we could not get at any reliable data of 
the amount expended for artificial foods. 
